Washington

Wiz Only Play Warriors Twice, In Mirror Every Day


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

The Washington Warriors... excuse me, Wizards... play against Golden State only twice in the regular season but they will be able to see former Warriors every day if the team gets together just-so and looks in a mirror or the metal in their locker room, if it is polished enough.

Former Warriors Antawn Jamison, Larry Hughes, and Gilbert Arenas play their former team on December 20 as the middle game of a five-game Western Conference road trip, and though the other matchups in that trip include the Lakers, Suns, Kings, and Wolves, you can still bet there will be a little special oomph reserved for the old team. Samaki Walker, meanwhile, will bring his vengeance against the Lakers that day.

The Warriors come to town to inspect their former teammates on March 4. Neither of these games will be broadcast on national TV but you can already pencil in an explosive scoring burst from Jamison and Arenas. If you are playing any virtual GM or fantasy basketball games where you can alter your roster around these dates, you could do worse than pick either of those two to explode.

Meanwhile, Samaki Walker will see his former team in name only as virtually everybody he played with has been shipped off. Nevertheless, he will get to see Kobe Bryant one more time this season, on March 14.

It's a season of vengeance, if you want to look at it that way. Or it's a season of such high turnover that it's inevitable you'll eventually bump into an old team of yours. Jamison is also facing Dallas twice this year: a home game on November 14 (just the third home game of the young season) and at Dallas on January 18.

TEAM NOTES
The Washington Wizards have released their complete 2004-2005 regular season schedule.

You can shop at the Wizards team storewhere you can personalized jerseys with your name and number.

NEWSLINES

George Von Benko ofThe Louisville Sports Reportwrites: Former University of Louisville star Samaki Walker is on the move again. The eight-year veteran forward/center signed a contract with the Washington Wizards on August 4. Terms of the deal were not released. However, Walker, who spent most of last season on the injured list in Miami, is believed to have signed a one-year deal for slightly less than $1 million... The 6-foot-9, 260-pounder also drew interest from the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota and Cleveland. But Walker, 28, said he felt he fit best in Washington as both a mentor to the younger players and a contributor on the court.

A Press Release at prweb.com states: “Pet owners are warm, caring and responsible people. If you’re single and looking for friends, a date, or a long-term relationship, those are pretty good qualities to start with.” says Dan Cohen, founder of AnimalAttraction.com, an online dating site targeting the 40 million single pet owners in the U.S. and millions more singles who don’t own pets, but love them just the same. In the first months since its launch, Animal Attraction.com has attracted members in all 50 states, including hundreds in the National Capitol area. In addition to bringing pet lovers together online, Cohen ~ a former executive with the NFL’s Washington Redskins, the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals ~ is hosting parties where single pet lovers can meet and mingle in person, and even bring their canine companions along.